


Suitcase full of Sparks

by Sunnyhoney



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Children, Divorce, Emotionally Hurt Stiles Stilinski, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Hurt Derek Hale, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Past Braeden/Derek Hale, Past Stiles Stilinski/Malia Tate, past relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:53:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26428165
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sunnyhoney/pseuds/Sunnyhoney
Summary: 8 years after leaving with Braeden, Derek comes back to Beacon Hills with his two daughters and a heavy secret.
Relationships: Allison Argent/Scott McCall, Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski, Melissa McCall/Sheriff Stilinski
Comments: 6
Kudos: 65





	1. Chapter 1

Derek buckled Clara in her booster seat and avoided Ellie’s piercing eyes .  
He sat behind the wheel and started the car, deeply aware of his daughter studying each one of his movements. Scrutinising his face, waiting desperately for a change, a glimpse of emotion that would deny what was going on.  
He glanced one last time at the comforting blue silhouette of the mountains hovering over Phoenix in his rearview mirror, took a breath and, his eyes steadily set on the horizon, drove away.  
Twenty five whole minutes ticked by on the grey screen of the dusty dashboard before Ellie finally lost her battle against the soothing motion of the car and nodded off, mouth hanging open, clenching her action figure close to her heart.  
As he looked at her softened face a wave of relief washed over him. He let out a heavy sigh that had been pressing against his chest since he had put the first suitcase in the trunk .  
The last lights of sunset were painting the sky orange behind them. He looked at his daughters, sound asleep in the backseat. The love he felt for them was overwhelming and yet the current situation was building a knot of guilt in his throat that made it hard to swallow.  
How many times would they have to go through this? The barely unpacked suitcases thrown back into the trunk of the car, the hours on the road, the new flats, the new schools, the new classmates, the lingering looks, the after-school stern talks with disapproving teachers, the loneliness and the anger…  
All he wanted was to give them a place to call home. To settle down. To feel loved and safe.

The car was riding easy on the infinite stretch of road 99 and he still had no idea where he was going.  
In the past, he had planned things carefully. He had mapped and researched, looked for school and potential jobs...but not this time.  
This time he was simply done with it all. Tired.  
However, at the back of his mind, something seemed to lead him. They had passed the blinding lights of Los Angeles and he had no desire to stop. Miles of desert landscapes followed and the night was gradually pushed back by the faint glimmer of dawn. He had driven for nearly ten hours taking advantage of the girls sleeping but he was itching to stop and stretch his legs when slowly, Ellie opened her eyes. She looked around in confusion and mumbled: “Daddy, where are we?”  
“Um… We’re kinda … In the middle of nowhere actually .  
-I’m hungry . 

He looked at her as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Those amazing dark brown eyes, beautiful and unsettling. Her long black hair had gone all messy and she had lost the ribbon he’d carefully tied at the end of her braid.  
Clara started moaning too, her face scrunched in a grumpy expression as soon as she opened her eyes.  
Derek looked at the signs alongside the highway and changed lanes to reach the next exit. 

-We’re gonna stop for some food and after this I’ll take you somewhere very special!  
\- Where is it?!  
\- I think you might know it Ellie...It’s called Yosemite Park . 

He looked at Ellie in his rearview mirror and couldn't help his smile when her eyes went wide, her mouth open:

-It’s the one with the big trees! And the big rocks and the bears!!!  
Well let’s hope we only see the trees and the rocks…  
You know daddy there are very very very old trees! And they’re huge! As tall as buildings! Some are really really large! And some are hollow and you can step inside them!  
Yes, I know sweetheart.  
He had never seen a kid as excited about trees as Ellie was. She loved nature so much. She wanted forest to explore and grass to roll in. She had never liked the city, the noise, the people, the dusty streets and the smell. She reminded him so much of Cora.  
Clara got excited as well, more to join in the fun than at the prospect of visiting the park:  
Are we gonna see bears, Daddy? I wanna see the bears!  
We’ll see Clara, I don’t think we will. 

He parked the car in the parking lot of a cafe/lodge/grocery store with the words “Harry’s Place, since 1917” handwritten in bold red letters on the front. As they walked in he suspected the place hadn’t changed one bit since 1917.  
The girls gobbled up several servings of fried potatoes, biscuits and gravy. The waitress watched in disbelief as she kept bringing more food to the table.  
Derek guessed she had never seen kids eating like that but then again the number of werewolves families coming here for breakfast was probably pretty low. 

Ellie could barely hold herself down as they drove the remaining miles and reached the park. She was glued to the window, on the edge of her seat and even her little sister seemed to be awestruck by the tall trees and huge cliffs surrounding them.  
Derek himself admitted it was pretty amazing. Somehow being surrounded by nature was all he needed to feel much calmer.

They spent the whole day in the park. Running around, hiking up mountains, playing hide and seek in the trees. The forest was filled with the girls' giggles as Derek chased them. Ellie was jumping from one rock to another, climbing trees and jumping over rivers. She was incredibly graceful and agile. Just like his sisters were when they played together back when they were kids. Derek was never like that. He was a bit clumsy and rough, never as smooth and silent as them. He could be agile if he focused but for Ellie it was natural. She loved running wild with no directions. She was so fast now, he would sometimes lose sight of her for a split second. Clara was still very much a toddler and hadn’t picked up so much of the wolf in her. She was very clingy. She climbed in his arms at any occasion and in his bed at night no matter the amount of time he’d put her back in her room. She asked for cuddles and kisses where Ellie was already over them, much more independent and quiet.  
He sat on a rock, staring at the breathtaking landscape for a while. Clara put a chubby hand on his knee and pushed herself up on his lap. She curled up against him and put her thumb in her mouth. He wrapped his arms around her, his heartbeat matching hers. He sensed Ellie’s presence behind him.  
She came to sit down at his feet, silent.  
They all felt the fatigue settle in their bones. The weariness you only feel after an entire day outdoors or for Derek, an entire night behind the wheel. They sat together and watch the sun set on an undisturbed lake surrounded by pine trees.  
“Daddy?”  
Ellie’s voice was soft and quiet.  
“Yes?  
-Can we stay here?”

Derek smiled and brushed Ellie’s hair out of her face. She looked up at him with hopeful eyes.  
“You like it here, don’t you?  
-Yes, I want to stay forever.  
-We cannot live here sweetheart, I’m sorry...but I have somewhere else in mind very close and I think you will like it too.”

They made their way back to the car as Clara fell asleep in his arms. They drove away through the forest in the night and Derek pushed back the thoughts running through his mind. Dwelling on the images of his happy daughters running through trees instead. 

It was just past midnight when they passed the familiar sign reading “Beacon Hills”.

****  
He felt Clara and Ellie's anxiety and sullen mood as soon as they stepped out of bed. Before he could even hear their tiny toes on the cold cement.  
He was sitting on the couch. Hadn't slept at all through the night. He just sat there trying not to get suffocated by the awful memories that were lining the walls of this loft.  
The girls came to him, their hands tightly knit together.  
“ Hey…”  
They both climbed on his lap for a cuddle but Ellie looked around with a distinct frown on her face.  
“Daddy .... is this our new house ?  
\- um... I'm not sure yet.  
\- I don't like it.”  
And he got that. Her senses picked everything up. From the dust covering every surface, to the howls of death still resonating in the room, years after they happened, along with the tension and melancholy her father was drenched in.  
For the billionth time since they arrived he asked himself if coming back was a good idea. And for the billionth time he came to the same conclusion: it wasn't. It was a terrible idea.  
But throughout his life he had learned that even though some ideas seemed bad at first they could end up being the best decision you ever made.  
Besides, I could not bring himself to put the suitcases back in the car.Not again. Not until he really gave it a go.  
Beacon Hills held so many memories. Beautiful memories and horribly traumatic ones.But it was home. More than anywhere else, this was where his roots were. Where his family had chosen to settle. Where his mum had reign as an alpha. Somehow this city was anchoring him and igniting the desire to build something. He had tried to ignore the pull for the past eight years. To ignore the fact that each city they settled in was closer to his California hometown than the previous one.  
He caressed Ellie's hair, Clara strongly wrapped around his other arm.

\- You will. You will like it. It just needs a bit more effort to feel like home. 

Two pairs of brown and green eyes met his. It sometimes baffled him to be entirely trusted by these two precious beings and to have them rely on him for everything. The waves of comfort that their three bodies shared was everything.  
Even though he tried sounding determined in front of his daughter Derek was terrified to step outside the loft. Terrified to seal his return by casually bumping into someone in town. And terrified not to bump into anyone. What if they had all left? What if he only came back to the cold ashes of his childhood and empty memories in the streets? What if he had missed something dramatic and all that would meet him was anger and grief?  
He couldn’t avoid the outside world much longer though as two very hungry wolf stomachs were sitting on his couch and needed attention very quickly.

The grocery store had never been this scary. He could feel lingering looks on the back of his head and hear the hushed whispers. Oh,this town was very much the same, the good old Beacon Hills he knew. And people remembered. And felt the need to discuss it at length between each other. 

Instinctively he tried shielding his daughters away from the looks but, while Ellie walked by his side, each one of her steps following his, Clara was, as always, impossible to control. She was running around in this brand new giant playground. She touched people's knees, stared intently at families and chatted with old ladies about her favourite flavour of yogurt. Derek spent more time running after her than actually putting food in his cart. He smiled apologetically, took her hand to pull her away. People smiled at her and she smiled back. She was irresistible and scarily social. Of course, Derek had no idea how to deal with that. He bent his head down and tried not to look anyone in the eyes by fear of seeing a familiar face, he strongly hoped this could be just a quick groceries shop, but his offspring was casually introducing herself to half the town and making this an event for everyone to look at.  
He was picking up a bag of lettuce and turned around to see that once again his daughter had ran away. He looked up to see her a little further down the aisle.  
Clara had both of her hands fully clasped around someone’s leg, right in front of the tomatoes, looking up at him expectantly and babbling about god knows what. When he managed to pull her away a weird feeling pulled at his gut. 

“ Sorry ... She's very friendly....”

He lifted his head to look at his daughter’s new victim. Who stared at him in disbelief.

“ Derek?”

His mouth hung slightly open as he looked into the stranger’s eyes. His hair was slightly greyer and the lines around his eyes deeper than before but the laser sharp clear blue eyes were still here.

“Chris…”

They were both frozen between the tomatoes and the tropical fruits. A couple of seconds that felt like an eternity went by as they both came to terms with each other’s presence in this supermarket aisle right at this moment.

“Is this …?”

He pointed at Clara, who was now biting her father’s arm, desperate to be freed, with an expression Derek had never seen on Chris’s face before... fondness ?  
He moved to the side and pushed Ellie in front of him, she pushed back, hiding behind his arm. As much as her sister was a social butterfly, she was a lone grump . 

“My daughters. Yes. This is Clara, and this is Ellie.”

Chris crouched down to smile at the girls. 

“Hi! I’m Chris.”

Ellie stared at him with ice cold eyes, mumbling a polite “Hi” through gritted teeth, Clara grinned and reached forward to touch his face.  
Chris laughed as Derek pulled her back, suddenly very aware of their situation, the hunter and the werewolf, former enemies standing in the produce section with an hyperactive toddler between them and carts full of food by their side.  
It was uncomfortable to say the least. 

“We...We have to get going. It was nice to see you.”

He turned away, pulling Clara up on his hip while she wiggled like a worm to get her feet back on the ground. 

“Derek …”  
“Yes?”

The hunter looked at him with a frown. 

“Is everything ok ?”

Derek took a moment to linger on the question. Of course, his return was a bad omen. Why would he come back to Beacon Hills so long after leaving if it wasn’t for some supernatural catastrophe lurking behind their mountains? 

“Everything is fine.”

He stared into the steel eyes and something twisted in his stomach. 

“I just… I thought it would be good for the girls to come back here and see their history…”

Chris stood still for a second then nodded, his expression was soft, almost caring. Derek felt the hunter’s eyes on him until he turned a corner and disappeared behind a pile of cereal boxes.  
Ellie whispered softly:

“Who was that, Daddy?”  
“An old friend.”

And as he loaded the food on the till he thought about the irony of calling someone who once wanted him dead, a friend. But yet, there was no trace of lie in his tone .

****


	2. Chapter 2

No matter how tired Stiles was, or how hard his day had been, at the exact second he would catch a glimpse of Jake’s brown hair peaking in between the other kids heads and backpacks, the moment he would catch his eye and his little round face was suddenly illuminated with joy and surprise, the weight of his day rolled off his shoulders and he instantly felt brand new and filled with pure happiness.

"Daddy!"

"Hey buddy !"

Jake ran into his arms and squished his face against his chest, his tiny arms tight around his neck. Stiles closed his eyes for a second, breathing in the smell of his son. It was a mix of dirt, overripe banana, paint and the slightest hint of just him, his baby. 

"How was school?”  
“Good.”  
“You wanna go to the park, maybe get some ice cream?"

Jake beamed, his missing front teeth forming the cutest gap in his smile. They strolled around the park and stopped at the ice cream truck. Jake dived into his chocolate cone, making a sugary mess of his jumper and face. He was babbling about his day at school, he had a way of telling things, the random events of primary school turned into the latest blockbuster in his voice. Stiles looked at him fondly as he finished the cone and started running towards the playground. His hair was a giant mess that he’d never managed to tame. He had his upturned nose, covered in freckles and obviously, his buzzing energy.

He watched him run to the sand pit and sit with his school friends, excitedly talking about god knew what as if he hadn’t left them two minutes ago. It was a given he would have an hyperactive child. The park was full of parents as always after school, the cold of winter was slowly coming in and everyone desperately wanted to catch the remaining heat of the summer. He opened his uniform jacket and sat on a bench with other parents. Growing up, going to school here and then becoming a deputy in Beacon hills meant that he knew everyone’s business and everyone knew his. He chatted happily with Lily, his neighbour who just had a new baby, shared some news with Thomas who worked at the library and whose daughter was one of Jake’s classmates, they both asked about his dad and his job. Ten years ago, he would have never thought he’d lead such a normal life. In fact, if you’d asked him he would have put all his money on dying before reaching his mid twenties, probably slaughtered by one the many supernatural monsters lining up to get a piece of him...

From the corner of his eye he looked at Jake happily playing with the other kids. He was sitting with a little girl, digging in the sand and tracing patterns. Something in the girl made Stiles do a double take. He didn’t recognize her. She had chubby amber cheeks and was younger than Jake, her lustrous curls looked like they had been neatly pulled behind a yellow hairband at the start of the day but were now disheveled in a beautiful halo around her face. Something about her was unsettling. She looked up at him as if feeling his eyes on her.

Her eyes. Green and copper, piercing eyes that stared at him as he studied her and made him lose his train of thoughts.

The little girl got up and marched right up to him, closely followed by Jake. She stopped in front of him and handed him a tiny blue plastic rake.

"Um… Thank you."

"You’re welcome."

"What’s your name ?"

He smiled at her and she poked his knee with her finger. Jake climbed on the bench.

"Clara."

"Hi Clara, I’m Stiles ."

"Stiles is my daddy. Clara is my new friend, dad," explained Jake very matter-of-factly.

"Where are your parents, Clara ?"

She was incredibly cute and her sticky hands were now all over his uniform, touching the shiny badge and the golden letters on his name tag. He lifted his head to look for her parents and his heart skipped a bit as they landed on a tall man approaching them. Their eyes locked and Stiles froze. He was hallucinating. That was the only rational explanation. His heart was thumping against his chest as the familiar name reached his lips and yet he stayed speechless. He stared at him in disbelief, unaware of Clara climbing up his legs and sitting on his lap, her tiny hands opening the pockets of his uniform.

"Hey, Stiles..."

Derek. 

Derek freaking Hale was standing in front of him in a children’s playground with a tub of applesauce in his hand, a stain on his stupidly tight white shirt and apparently, a toddler considering the uncanny resemblance he’d noticed in Clara’s eyes.

"De… Derek."

They stayed like that for a moment, just staring at each other, their mouth hanging open, their cheeks slightly flushed, not seeming to register how they both ended up here before Clara stuck her face right in front of Stiles, her hands on his cheeks, studying him closely, and Jake decided to climb on his back to assess his territory.

Derek grabbed Clara in his arms, who surprisingly complied, apparently fascinated by Stiles who took the opportunity to stand up making Jake slip back on the bench.

"Derek …"

"Um… Hi… Sorry about… Clara. She’s not shy. At all."

Stiles didn’t reply, his eyes still studying Derek’s face .

"She’s your daughter."

It wasn’t even a question. He just looked at the pair of them in disbelief.

"My youngest, yes."

Derek pointed at a young girl with long, dark hair hiding her face, sitting cross-legged on a bench with a book on her lap.

"This is Ellie, my oldest ."

Stiles opened his mouth and closed it. Opened it again with no idea what to say and looked back at Derek. At his stupid face, the stubble on his cheeks, the crinkle of his eyes. He was still the same. The same Derek who left 8 years ago, just as he remembered him.

"Is this your son?"

“What?”

For a second there he had forgotten about his son. And about the playground full of people staring at them. 

"Um… Yeah. This is Jake. Say hello, Jake."

"Hello."

Derek smiled at the boy who was squinting at him like he was some kind of very complicated math problem.

"Wow ..." Stiles whispered. Because really he had nothing else to say. Derek Hale was in front of him right now. With two kids. After disappearing for eight years. He couldn’t help but think about the number of times he had longed for this. Fantasized about it even. Derek coming back.

"What are you doing here?"

Derek didn’t know how to answer this question, so he said the same thing he had said to Chris Argent a week before:

"Um… I thought it would be nice for the girls to come here and learn a bit more about my family, their family ."

Stiles stared at him like what he’d just said made no sense. Because it didn’t. Why chose to stay away for eight years and leave them to their own disarray and suddenly come back? Why now? What was left in Beacon Hills that he suddenly couldn't live without after staying away for so long?  
Derek avoided his eyes and instead chose to readjust Clara’s headband. The silence grew uncomfortable so he took a chance:

"How are you?"

"Um… I’m good."

He instinctively ruffled Jake’s hair while saying that. Derek pointed to his uniform.

"You’re a deputy now?"

"Yes."

"That’s good. Congrats"

Oh, god he couldn’t do that. He couldn’t stand there and chit-chat with this asshole werewolf like they were strangers. He couldn’t randomly talk about the weather when so many questions were pushing at the back of his throat and he wanted to yell and push and maybe punch him in the face and grab him and just … Not like that. His blood was boiling, his heart pumping he needed to get away from this completely incongruous situation and just be on his own to catch his breath.

"I think we’re gonna go, right Jake? Let’s go home."

"But Daddy…"

"It’s late, Jake. We’ll come back another time all right? "

Jake started pouting and Stiles gave him a small nudge .

Derek stood there, rubbing the back of his neck while Clara climbed down from him to run to her sister.

"So, I’ll see you, Derek. I guess..."

"Um… yes, see you."

He grabbed Jake’s hand and made his way out of the park, clearly aware of the pair of eyes burning holes in his back.

They were nearly at the gate when a firm hand grabbed his arm .

"Stiles"

He turned around to face the werewolf and his usual furrowed brows above the green copper eyes.

"I think we should talk…If you...want to..."

Stiles considered it for a second before drawing his phone out of his pocket and handing it to Derek.

Derek typed his number and called his own phone. When he lifted his head up again while giving it back he looked...anxious.

Stiles gave him a tight smile before heading off. He put Jake's seatbelt on, paying no attention to the constant rambling coming out of his son's mouth. He dropped down in the driver's seat and stared blankly at the windshield for a few minutes then mumbled:

"What the fuck..."

He banged his fist on the steering wheel. A huff of laughter left his nostrils. Complete disbelief. He banged again and again stronger.

"What. The. Actual. Fuck."

Jake suddenly stopped talking, his head snapped up, eyes wide.

"We can't say fuck, daddy."

Stiles dropped his head against the wheel and sighed.

"Yes, baby, you’re right. I know. We can't say that." 

He set the engine on and started driving. All the way home he mumbled under his breath like a madman. He opened the front door and turned the tv on for Jake before going in the kitchen and taking his phone out of his pocket.

He listened to the dialling tone, once. Twice. His fingers were tapping nervously on the counter.

"Come on... pick up."

"Stiles?"

"We need to talk!"

"Well, it's not really the best time... we..."

"I don't care! We need to talk, like, right now!"

"Ok... ok... hang on a sec...."

He listened to the shuffling on the other end and rolled his eyes.

"What is it?"

"Well... you'll never guess who I ran into in the playground with two little girls by his side ..."

"Derek?"

"-DEREK FREAKING HALE- .... wait what? How did you know?"

"Um... Chris told us."

"Are you fucking kidding me? And you never thought about telling me??"

"Look he ran into him yesterday and well, we kinda have our hands full at the moment and I didn't think too much of it ..."

"Derek. Derek is here. And he's got two flipping daughters who both look like warrior princesses obviously and he's like casually strolling around bumping into me like "hey what's up dude last time you saw me I came back from the dead" and he say he's here to show his daughters their history or some shit like that and I don't buy that AT ALL and I cannot believe he had the freaking nerve to ask for my number because we need to talk as if we will just casually catch up on the past over a fucking glass of wine after eight years without any news and you! You! You didn't think about telling me?! What the hell, Scott !?"

"Stiles! Calm down...."

Stiles took a deep breath. A bead of sweat rolled on his forehead. He’d been pacing the house and waving his arms around a bit too dramatically. The amount of swearing that had left his mouth caught up with him and he cracked the living room door open to look at Jake, who was still fully absorbed in his cartoon.

"Why is he here, Scott? It makes no sense, he's hiding something!"

"I don't know Stiles. Go talk to him!"

"What? No way!"

"Look, we are not coming back until Tuesday and Derek is far from being our priority right now, so either you wait for us or you take the matter into your own hands and I know you're not gonna sit there waiting for us, so..."

Stiles stayed silent for a second. Of course there was this itch. Of course he'll end up going to Derek’s. And once again as much as it pained him to admit, Scott was right.

"Fine. Call me when you've got news." 

That night, he laid in bed staring at the ceiling for way too long. Memories he had buried very deep were suddenly rushing back and he didn’t know what to do with them or how to handle the emotions they came with. When the first rays of sun streaked his ceiling he still had no solution so he resolved himself to just get up and get on with his day without addressing the hysteria going on in his head.

****

He had a huge lump in his throat when he knocked on the door. That stupid, heavy, loft door that he hadn’t bothered knocking on for many years. He couldn't believe Derek would choose to come back to the loft with his daughters after everything that had happened here. He was thankful for Jake jumping around him and keeping his mind off the fact that he was gonna be face to face with the alpha for the whole evening. He had thought long and hard about taking Jake but he thought Derek's daughters being here, they would have to manage being civil and he should postpone the very satisfying plan he had come up with that involved throwing multiple objects at Derek’s stupid head and a lot of swearing, so he might as well come with his son, he was sure that, this way, there wouldn't be any awkward silences. Or any silence at all, actually. 

The door slid open and Derek appeared, just like he remembered him 8 years ago. He was wearing a blue shirt, his large stature filling the space, dark hair, conflicted frown and worried eyes. It made him angry. That his own eyes couldn’t keep from trailing along his defined jawline, the stubble on his cheeks and the muscles tightly wrapped under the cotton, his supermodel face and that body, it wasn’t fair really, where was the inevitable dad bod?

"Hey...."

"Hey."

"Thanks for coming."

He took a step back to let him come in and Stiles hid a smirk. Derek being all uncomfortable and polite was definitely not something he remembered.

He looked around the loft. Nothing had changed. It was still grim, dark, cold and depressing.

"I was about to compliment your taste in home decorating but I see you definitely didn't get any better at that ..."

Derek smiled.

"This is temporary. "

"What? You in this loft or you in Beacon Hills?"

Ouch. Great job, Stiles! You didn't even get to take your jacket off before snapping acid remarks. So much for being civil and shit ... He bit his lip and Derek looked at him. This was the distinct look that he remembered, he could feel it tracing every detail on his face, heating up his cheeks and making him feel...bare.

"I don't know."

Stiles shrugged off his jacket. Jake and Clara were already running around the loft chasing each other with loud screeches and giggles. Ellie was sitting in an armchair folded up on a book again but staring intently at Stiles. He waved and smiled but she just looked away. Derek sighed.

"She's quite shy."

"She seemed to love reading."

"Yes she does. Books were 80% of her suitcase."

He smiled fondly and Stiles took a moment to ponder on this. On Derek smiling, Derek with a family, people he loved who loved him back. Derek being a parent and so very human.

"I ordered pizza, I hope that's ok. We don't have much of a kitchen here."

"It's fine, don't worry. You know I love pizza."

And through tiny things like that, discovering their present and remembering their past, they stopped tiptoeing around each other. By the time they finished their pizzas and opened their third round of beers, the kids were sound asleep, all curled up on top of each other under a blanket, and they didn't feel like strangers anymore.

"He's just as energetic as I was. It's exhausting and I'm really bad at saying no."

"Try raising a preteen who behaves like a wolf..."

"God, I can't even imagine... Mine is only human thank god !"

"Is he... ?"

Derek tried bringing the difficult question smoothly and Stiles found the fact that it took him eight years and two kids to finally become tactful, oddly funny.

"Malia's? Yes."

"Are you two...?"

"Still together? No… Um ... It's complicated." 

He picked at the label on his beer bottle. He never really got to explain this out loud. It turned into some kind of taboo with everyone when he once completely lost his shit at a pack meeting and threw a chair across the room. He still cringed every time he thought about it.

"You don’t have to explain…"

"No, it’s fine."

He took a deep breath and looked anywhere but at Derek.

"It’s not that complicated actually. I just got used to saying that. We’ve separated. We’ve been through so much together. We knew each other inside and out and even eight years ago I thought we would spend our whole lives together. To be honest I think our relationship started to fall apart even before I left for college. But I was in denial. I wanted this to work so badly, especially with Jake..."

Flashes of Malia crossed his mind, the two of them, dumb teenagers, in the middle of a supernatural war. Passionately in love.

"I think it happened gradually. We grew so used to each other. She was a constant part of my life and I was a constant of hers. We were never apart. I think at one point we weren't individuals anymore, we were one entity. We stopped kissing and touching so much, but we still had this strong bond. She was the only one I could really speak to and we shared everything. One day I realised, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing her at the end of the day. I wasn’t listening when she was speaking. I just wanted to be alone... I thought it would pass, that we just needed space. But it didn’t. We had this wonderful kid that we love so much and yet we weren’t able to have a proper relationship. I think we both thought it would be best to ignore the problem, best for Jake and we still cared so much for each other ..."

Stiles swallowed. His eyes started stinging. He had never set everything on the table like this before and it hurt so much.

"She moved out. About two years ago. It was really hard. I blame myself a lot...but we’re good. We’re still parents. I have Jake every other week. We didn’t really agree on anything. Never went in front of a judge or anything. We have so much love for each other...just not this kind of love…"

He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and sighed .

"God...I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to have a meltdown."

"Stiles...It’s ok."

Derek put a sympathetic hand on his knee and he looked at him. Strangely, he felt really glad that he had spilled the beans in front of him and not anyone else. Derek smiled at him, his hand was warm and comforting on his leg. He took a deep breath and leaned back in the sofa.

"What about you? Is Braeden the mother?"

"Yes, she is."

His hand left Stiles legs and he looked towards the kids fondly.

"It’s a bit different. I’ve always wanted kids and I’ve been really open about it. She had always been open about not wanting to settle down. Ever. So when she got pregnant… It was a surprise. We left Beacon Hills and we thought a lot about how we would make this work. We loved each other at the start but then it became evident that it wasn’t going anywhere. She quickly made it clear that she wouldn’t be in the picture. That she would keep on working and wouldn’t settle down to raise them with me. I never asked her to. She drops by from time to time. We never really know when. I think, in the end, it’s harder for her than it is for me. Because even though she swore she wouldn’t be a mother to them, the simple fact that she carried them and gave birth to them will always bond them. Of course, there are moments where I’d like the girls to have someone else but me. To have a real family. But I don’t think Braeden could have been that person. And... I think we’re doing alright."

He smiled while looking at them. Ellie was lying down with her arms wrapped around her sister, Jake, a weird addition to the pile. 

"We’re good. Just the three of us."

A wave of warmth filled Stiles stomach. The anger and bitterness he had felt coming into the loft was slowly fading as he looked at the Alpha. He remembered all the pain and hardship Derek had been through and how all he had wished for him was to feel love and safety.

"You’re brave. Raising two kids on your own…"

"I’ve had worse. "

"I know you did."

They shared a smile.

"So tell me about the others, Scott, Allison, Lydia…"

“Well, nothing much has changed to be honest … Scott and Allison are still the same lovebirds they were ten years ago. Although they argue a bit more. When Malia and I had Jake they were all over him. They babysit him so much sometimes I feel like I can’t see my own kid! Scott is crazy about him...This kid is suffocated with love. Lydia is a lawyer now. She travels a lot but she manages to spend a lot of time here, with the pack. My dad and Melissa got married three years ago. I hadn’t seen him this happy in a long time. He’s probably going to retire in a year or two and puts all the pressure on me to become the new sheriff... "

He smiled. He never really took the time to think about what they had all become in the past years. Although they were still battling supernatural creatures left and right, happiness definitely seemed more present .

"That’s good."

"Yes."

In the back of Stiles mind there were a lot of things unsaid but he held back. Because he didn’t want to ruin a nice moment. Because it had been a long time since he really talked with someone who wasn’t five years old.

"I think we’re gonna head out now. I’m pretty knackered and I think this one needs a real bed."

He pointed at Jake curled between Clara and Ellie on the armchair. He stood to pick him up and both of the girls opened their eyes as soon as he approached. He tried untangling the kids and Jake whined in his sleep.

"Come on buddy, we need to go home. "

He smiled, Jake was very social. He asked for a brother or sister every week. He loved being around other kids but had trouble establishing relationships with his classmates. He was a bit “too much” to handle. But with the girls it seemed different, it was nice to see him running around without holding back.  
As he pulled him away Jake wrapped his tiny arms around his neck and fell right back to sleep on his shoulder.

When he reached the door he turned to Derek.The werewolf gazed at him.

"Thanks, Stiles …"

"What for?"

"For giving me a chance and not telling me to go to hell."

Stiles smiled thinking how hard it had been for him to do just that. He was glad he held back the snarky comments and all the rage he had built up through the years.

"It’s good… Having you back."

Something passed in Derek’s eyes, surprise? He had a weird soft expression on his face when looking at Stiles and it was so far from the Derek he knew.

They exchanged one last smile before Stiles turned away and left into the night.


End file.
